Our journey from Vézelay to Chagny for the week end took us along the famous Burgundy wine trail on to the Hôtel du Commerce, a pleasant white building with green and white tables, chairs, and umbrellas in front. It was not a large hotel, but it bustled with activity, and at mealtime its dining room was always crowded. That, in France. means that the food is superlative, M. Lameloise, the owner and chef, presided over the activities of the hotel with the help of a busy, happy French family. Monsieur managed the kitchen, his young wife sat at the desk or seated the guests in the dining room, and a sister and brother-in-law helped on week ends. All were gracious, hospitable, and eager to make you comfortable, an attitude that you will generally find wherever you go in France. Here are some of the specialties of Monsieur and his family.
Terrine de Cbagny Lameloise
Chop ½ pound of fresh chicken livers very finely and mix well with 2 pounds of fresh sausage meat. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of poultry seasoning. Add 2 ounces good Madeira or sherry, 2 tablespoons cognac, and 3 eggs, well beaten, and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Line the bottom and sides of a heavy casserole with thin slices of larding pork and fill it with the meat mixture. Cover with thin slices of larding pork and place a bay leaf on top. Cover the casserole and seal the edge with a stiff dough, made by mixing Hour and water together. Set the casserole in a pan containing about 2 inches of boiling water and bake in a hot oven (400° F.) for about 1 ½ hours, adding more boiling water to the pan as the water evaporates. Remove the casserole from the oven and cool. Remove the cover and discard the bay leaf and larding pork from the top of the pâté. Chill the pâté and serve it from the casserole. Aspic jelly, flavored with Madeira, may be poured over the top and chilled until it is set.
Truite de Rivière au Montracbet au
Beurre de Truffes
(River Trout in Wine wish Truffle Butter)
Bring to a boil 2 cups each of water and Montrachet wine with 1 carrot and 1 onion, both sliced, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, and a small fagot made by tying together 1 stalk of celery, 4 sprigs of parsley, a little thyme, and a small bay leaf. Simmer this court-bouillon for 15 minutes. Clean 6 fresh trout, each weighing about ½ pound, and put them in the bouillon. Bring the bouillon almost to a boil and poach the trout for 10 to 15 minutes, or until done. To serve, remove the skin from the trout and place each trout on a warm serving plate. Pour over each trout 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bouillon and arrange a slice of the carrot and the onion on each fish. Serve with truffle butter.
Truffle Butter
Mix ½ cup creamed butter, 1 table-spoon chopped truffles, and season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper
Lamb Kidneys with Madeira
Remove the skin from 12 lamb kidneys. Wash. dry. and split them in half or in quarters. Season with salt and pepper. In it shallow pan heat 2 table-spoons good fat. Add the kidneys and cook them quickly for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown, turning frequently to brown them all over. Remove the kidneys to a colander and drain thoroughly.
Discard the fat from the pan and return the pan to the fire. In it melt 2 tablespoons butter, add I pound of small mushrooms, and sauté the mushrooms for 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden. Add 1 tablespoon chopped shallots or onion and 3ounces red Burgundy wine. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add
1 cup brown sauce (see January, 1953), or if that is not available, ½ cup beef gravy and ½ cup stewed tomatoes. Swirl 1 tablespoon butter, and then 2 tablespoons Madeira, into the sauce. Add the kidneys, bring the sauce just to the boiling point, and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
Escalope tie Vean à la Crème au Porto
(Escalope of Veal with Port Wine Cream Sauce)
Flatten 1 ½ pounds of thinly sliced veal with a wooden mallet. Rub each piece with flour, season with salt and pepper, and saute in hot butter for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Arrange the scallops in a warm serving dish, and to the juices in the pan add 1 tablespoon chopped shallot or onion and 1 tablespoon paprika. Mix well and stir in 1 teaspoon flour. Add gradually 1 cup hot cream and cook, stirring, until the sauce is blended and slightly thickened. Add 2 ounces port wine, correct the seasoning with salt, and pour the sauce over the veal. Serve with noodles or rice.
Tuiles aux Amandes
These are very delectable crisp little rolled cookies that are served with tea at the Hotel du Commerce. Mix together 5- egg whites. ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, and a little salt, and beat until very light. Stir in 5 tablespoons Hour. 6 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons milk. Add ¼ cup almond paste and beat until the batter is smooth. Add t/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto a buttered baking sheet, leaving enough room between them so that they can spread, and bake in a hot oven (450 °F.) for 5 to 8 minutes, or until golden. Remove the cookies with a large, thin spatula, and while they are still hot, curl them over a long rolling pin.
After so much rich food, one member of our party was beginning to talk of a “light lunch.” Actually, I don't think he ever found one in France. Each time he asked. “How about a simple omelette and a green salad, this noon?” the waiter hovering over us would reply. “Monsieur can cat a simple-omelette anywhere in France, but here-ah, here he must have one of our local specialties.” And we would be off on two hours of never-to-be-forgotten eating.
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